Old Wood, New LifeThis Fleetwood family uses discarded wood from aging buildings to make custom-designed creations.

When pigs fly. That’s what Kristin Sevensky would have said if someone had told her she and her husband would start their own business someday. It’s not that her husband, Ken, has not always dreamed of being self-employed. Nor is his unmistakable passion for working with wood a newfound love.

It’s just that when Ken and Kristin met at Wake Forest University, no one could have predicted they would support their family by opening and running Fleetwood-based Gum Ridge Mill & Flying Pig Furniture. Their company makes custom-designed furniture and floors using repurposed wood from mills, barns, and homes.

Now, these two entrepreneurs couldn’t picture their life any other way. Running a business out of their home has blurred the distinctions between family and work roles. Kristin reads a book to Hatch, her 4-year-old son, before sending him across the yard to the barn with tools that Ken has requested. Around noon, Ken heads back across the same path to have lunch in the house with Kristin and the rest of the family. After lunch, Ken drives off to check out a neighboring barn while Kristin responds to customer inquiries on the Web site. Though their work is never done, they also never put their life on hold.

Back to Carolina
The first step Ken and Kristin took toward starting their own business was deciding to move back to North Carolina. Smitten with the state since their graduate-school days, Ken and Kristin longed to return to the mountains and woodlands. “We had spent a lot of time hiking and camping here,” Ken says. “We really liked North Carolina and knew we wanted to get back here someday.” The couple left Columbus, Ohio, after they took jobs at a county hospital near Fleetwood. Ken was the wellness director for the hospital’s rehab facility. Kristin coordinated the wellness program for its employees. “We wanted to live in the place where we like to vacation,” Ken remembers.

Everything Comes Full Circle
After settling in at the hospital, Ken and Kristin turned their attention to planning and building their dream house. One day they approached their neighbor about using wood from a barn that was falling into ruin on her property. “We just thought it would be neat to use the old wood to make some cabinets or flooring in our house,” Ken says. “It was also neat to learn the history of the building, which had been used as a mill and then a barn for more than 80 years.”

The wood from that building became the staircase in the Sevensky’s house and inspired Ken to cultivate his hobby: making furniture from the lumber salvaged from old buildings. Within no time, Ken started selling some of this work, and the business continued to grow. Eventually, the Sevenskys realize something had to give, and they decided to dedicate all of their time to the new company.

People Always Remember the Pig
So how did the Sevenskys come up with the name for their business? They wanted something that locals would recognize, so they named it after the area – Gum Ridge, so-called because so many gum trees grow in the region. Even outsiders enjoy the geographic nod, especially when they visit Fleetwood. “Most of the clients appreciate the mountains and want to see where the wood comes from,” Kristin pipes in. “I tell them it’s definitely worth the drive,” Ken adds.

The “flying pig” part of the company name is more personal. When Ken opened his shop, he hung a copper weathervane shaped like a pig – a gift Kristin gave him before they married – over the building. Soon thereafter, the name Flying Pig Furniture “hit us both at the same time,” Kristin says. The name seemed to capture the spirit behind starting the business. “People always tell us they remember the pig,” Ken adds.

A True Family Affair
The name is not the only side of the business that is a true joint effort. “My mind does not work in three dimensions at all, so I used to just think of this as Ken’s business,” Kristin says. “But I feel like I spend an equal amount of time over here doing bookkeeping, coming up with where we need to advertise, or maintaining the Web site. This is our business now.”

Ken has always believed the business is a family affair. In fact, that’s part of the reason he chose to do it full-time. “Knowing that I am close to my family when I’m working is very important to me,” he says. Plus, Ken realizes he could never do it without support from those who mean the most to him. “It’s helpful to have a wife who has supported me with all these crazy ideas I’ve had,” he says.

Repurpose With a Purpose (special inset)
If you’re wondering how Ken finds the wood he uses to make custom furniture and architectural components, make a trip to Fleetwood. Like any countryside, the area is filled with barns, mills, and other buildings that have either been abandoned or are scheduled for demolition. Although neighbors, friends, and wood dealers often call Ken with suggestions of possible sites, Ken frequently roams the hills surrounding Gum Ridge Mill & Flying Pig Furniture to find the wood on his own.

Because these buildings are often many decades old, Ken salvages rare wood varieties, such as antique wormy chestnut, pumpkin pine, wormy sassafras, and antique heart pine, that are difficult to find anywhere else. From the rough boards he rescues, he fashions beautiful custom-designed furniture. Clients are encouraged to be involved in every step of the process – from the selection of the wood type to the design of the finished product. For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit www.gumridgemill.com, or call (336) 877-8888.